Beren wrote:If I have a lower number limited edition it sells much, much better and demand is very high for the lower numbers, while the higher numbers always takes 'much' longer to sell.

I am very much in agreement with Beren. In fact, when I sold #35 of the SD CoH, the buyer really wanted a sealed copy. #35 was already opened, so I offered him the choice of a sealed copy of a later number (can't quite remember, but somewhere around #339). He ended up going with the lower number because he thought it was a 'premium' number, even at #35. I went ahead and provided him the shipping carton from #339 just to make the book a little more complete (and just peeled off the sticker on the shipping carton that indicated #339). This is just one of many examples I could provide where a lower number made a difference in a sale. Where that cut-off is, I am not sure, but on a limited run of 500, I know I did okay with #34 and #35.

While I agree with Beren on "the market," when it comes to my personal collection, I have to agree with Stu. I really could care less what number I receive (unless of course, it is something like #100 or less of the 1987 SD Hobbit!). In fact, I actually like the way the market works and have used it to my advantage in the past. When the SD CoH was released, I bought a couple of the early copies, then I bought a couple of the later numbers once HC started deeply discounting them. I sold the early ones for a premium and essentially ended up with my personal copy (#339) for free. I can say with certainty that I am happier with a high number for free than a low number for hundreds of dollars!

I received my copy of the SD The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun the other day. It is sitting on my bookshelf next to the SD The Children of Hurin. I have not opened either of these and am in no rush to do so. I can really only judge them by photos, tho I do think the cases look attractive. I know it has been said before but I must comment on the sizes. I think it lazy that they do not fit in size. It makes no sense.

I have previously mentioned this on another thread but I find it almost surprising that both of these titles have not sold out, especially S&G. In my opinion S&G being the first deluxe edition would be a definite for a book collector to own.

I understand that the quality of S&G compared to CoH is not good; why is this opinion formed?

Of course the prices are ridiculous and the edition is perhaps a little large and the initial S&G discount price was not wise as it may undermine the perceived value.

I can’t help thinking tho that had of this been sold by a company like The Folio Society it would have long since become sold out. The limited editions they sell can move quite fast. I guess their books are of a higher quality. Harper Collins are not great at promoting their books either.

It will be at least fifty years before these books start achieving true higher prices. One some have been opened, read, lost, and the ridiculous prices of the current ones for sale by private booksellers are over.

Re-reading it my post is a bit of a jumble of ideas and not strictly fitting into the title of ‘Super Deluxe Values’, but I had to have my say somewhere. : D

For the record an edition of the SD S&G is lost in transit, which could mean anything I guess.